


What Janie Crane Discovered

by ElegantButler



Category: Max Headroom - Fandom
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-14
Updated: 2016-06-14
Packaged: 2018-07-15 00:46:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7198520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElegantButler/pseuds/ElegantButler
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to "What Theora Found Out".</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Telling Blank Bruno

Chapter 1

Edison Carter walked to work from Gladhand Meadows. After seeing that Bryce’s body would not end up being dismantled for parts, he had refused a ride from Blank Reg who had agreed to keep silent about Bryce until Edison made the announcement.

The walk, which was three miles, was taken mostly for him to think about how to make that statement. He wondered how they would react? Would they feel angry that Bryce had died without them around him? Would they be mad at themselves? Or Janie for getting herself in danger while Bryce was on death’s doorstep? He tried to think of how to work it so there would be no self-recriminations. Tried to take the pain out of his voice so it wouldn’t be misconstrued as anger.

As it turned out, he didn’t have to say anything. 

As soon as he walked into the control room, they knew. Of course they would, he reflected. He had only been away to look after Bryce in his last days. If was back, it meant those few days were over.

“Where?” Murray asked as Theora wiped her eyes on her sleeve.

“Gladhand Meadows,” Edison told them. “Next to Paddy. Now,” he said, getting to business, “What’s the deal with Janie Crane?”

“What?” Theora asked. She’d been thinking about all the things Bryce would never grow up to do. Get married, become a father. He was gone now, taken too soon from this world.

“Janie Crane. The reporter who replaced me. What happened to her?”

“Right,” Theora said, glad for the distraction from her sadness.

Murray didn’t question it. He had seen a great number of deaths when he’d been a war correspondent and he knew that most people busied themselves after a close friend had passed in order to keep themselves from being overwhelmed by the loss.

“Janie was in the field when she was abducted by what was apparently a ZLin soldier,” Theora explained. “They must have a scan blocker somewhere on their vehicles because I can’t pick up a trace of her.”

“There’s got to be a way,” Edison told her. “Keep trying.”

Theora turned back to her computer and continued her attempts to reach Janie. 

 

Edison shouldered his camera and headed for the door.

“Where are you going?” Murray demanded.

“To visit Blank Bruno,” Edison said.

“You can tell him about Bryce later.” Murray told him.

“Murray,” Edison reasoned, “Blank Bruno was Bryce’s teacher. If anyone in this city knows how to track Janie with a trace blocker in place, it’s him.”

“Just be careful,” Murray said. “We can’t afford to lose three employees in one month.”

 

“Life is so fragile in the Fringes, God,” Bruno said, carefully petting the frog’s back as footsteps approached his door. “We live like shadows, Sometimes giving shade, always following. Even when we cannot be seen.”

The knock was unexpected.

“We’re not interested,” Bruno called to the door.

“I need to talk to you about a former student,” Edison said from the other side of the door.

“Which student?” Bruno asked, cautiously. He wondered what the reporter wanted from him. He was sure it wasn’t chatting about old times.

“Bryce Lynch,” Edison called through the door.

Bryce was one of Bruno’s best students and the middle-aged blank had a soft spot for the teen genius.

“What about him?” he asked, his hand on the doorknob.

“He’s dead.” Edison told him, choking back tears.


	2. Bruno and Jenny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blank Bruno calls Bryce's former classmate.

Chapter Two

Blank Bruno opened the door, a stunned look on his face.

“How?” he managed to ask as he stepped back to let Edison in.

“Brain cancer,” Edison told him once they were inside.

Bruno collapsed into his chair. “I can’t believe it,” he said. “He would’ve been seventeen in a week.”

Edison nodded. “I know. He wasn’t going to tell anyone either. The only reason we found out was because he was crying from the pain and Theora accidentally pulled off the wig he’d been wearing. Truth is, I didn’t just come to tell you about Bryce. We have a problem. Janie Crane, the reporter who covered the White Brigade story is missing. She’s untraceable. Probably a hostage somewhere. And since you were Bryce’s teacher…”

“I’d prefer to remain untraceable,” Bruno apologized. “There’s a girl named Jenny who works for Network 66. She was Bryce’s best friend at ACS. You might be able to convince her to jump ship.” 

“I can’t risk the life of another teenager,” Edison shook his head.

“You need someone to fill Bryce’s job,” Bruno pointed out. “And now that Bryce is gone, she’s the best. I’ll call her.”

Bruno tapped in a code on his vu-phone.

“Jenny,” he said when she came on the line.

“Good afternoon, sir,” Jenny smiled. “What’s up?”

“Jenny,” Bruno said, regret in his voice, “I’m afraid I’ve got very bad news about Bryce.”

Jenny blinked. “Bryce? What bad news?”

Bruno looked at Edison, who leaned into the phone’s video space.

“Jenny, Bryce died of brain cancer a few hours ago,” he explained.

“And you want me to take his place,” Jenny guessed, tears brimming in her eyes.

Edison realized she had wanted more than just friendship from Bryce. And now she would never get the relationship she’d desired.

“We have a problem at the Network and we need someone to take over Bryce’s spot on our team so we can save Janie Crane.”

“She was very brave,” Jenny said. “I saw her story on the White Brigade. Okay. I’ll come over to Network 23. Give me time to pack and pick me up in half an hour.”

Jenny disconnected the link. She flopped onto her bed, sobbing. She could not believe he hadn’t told her. It explained why he hadn’t called her for so long. They had gotten along so well for the few months between when he had called her about Vu-Doze project and when he had stopped contacting her. She had been angry when his calls had stopped, thinking that he had turned out to be like so many boys, getting what he wanted from a girl and then dumping her.

Nobody knew about the nights she and Bryce had spent together. Nor did anyone know of their secret engagement. She had taken the ring off and placed it in a drawer. Now she returned it to her finger, a reminder of what was and what might have been.


End file.
